


i got a taste for you

by SofieChappell



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Baking, Chef!Alec, Fluff, M/M, Texting, bussinessman!Magnus, just shameless fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-15
Updated: 2017-07-15
Packaged: 2018-12-02 07:26:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11504553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SofieChappell/pseuds/SofieChappell
Summary: Magnus had no idea how he ended up like this. All he knew was that it was really, really late, he had to go to work tomorrow, and he was watching youtube baking tutorials.





	i got a taste for you

Magnus had no idea how he ended up like this. All he knew was that it was really, really late, he had to go to work tomorrow, and he was watching youtube baking tutorials.

"I'm rotating my cake stand, keeping my offset spatula flat against the cake. And what it does, it pulls away any excess frosting so that will give you a nice, smooth top."

 _I wish you were my nice, smooth top_ , Magnus thought. Well, okay, he had sort of an idea of why he was where he was. Some time ago, in another age, he had this stupid idea of making Cat a pretty cake for her upcoming birthday. That’s what friends do, right? What could possibly go wrong?

He started thinking about it and  he quickly realized two things: one, he knew absolutely nothing about cake-making, which might seem like a problem, and two, thankfully it was 21st century. Magnus had opened a browser and quickly typed it his query. He decided video tutorials were the way to go, it should be easier to learn from action as well as words after all.

"Use your hands. Be daring, don't be afraid."

Magnus groaned loudly. Chairman Meow woke up from where he was napping next to Magnus and looked at him disapprovingly for waking him up. Magnus couldn't help it. It should be illegal to look like that and say things like these publicly.

The man was gorgeous. There was no other way to put it. Dark, messy hair, silky voice, this spark in his hazel eyes that showed how big his passion for baking was… Magnus didn’t even try to fight the instant crush. The Cake Man was definitely irresistible and made it way too easy for Magnus’ brain to make inappropriate comments.

"Add superfine sugar."

_You're super fine, sugar._

The only thing that was keeping Magnus sane, that made him wonder if the universe isn’t a heartless bitch after all, is the fact that the man didn’t seem prone to licking neither his fingers nor various kitchen utensils he was using. Also the videos didn’t end up with the usually obligatory tasting, with culinary-programme trademarked closed eyes and soft moans over how delicious the food is. Magnus would probably spontaneously combust at the sight of that.

"Our meringue is at the stiff peak, you can see it standing straight up."

That was too much. Magnus’ brain was fried. Or baked, if he cared enough to make a theme-appropriate metaphor.

He closed his laptop and went to sleep. Whatever visions of handsome cook and really creative usage of buttercream his brain concocted that night, it would be his sweet, sweet secret.

 

* * *

 

Magnus was a mess the next morning. He overslept which meant less time for the makeup routine than he’d  like to have. He gulped down his cold brew, feeling all of his nerves fire up at the taste of coffee. His whole wardrobe was flawless, thank you very much, so he just picked up an outfit almost blindly. He settled on a simple dark eyeshadow and some highlighter for the makeup. He wasn’t going to risk putting eyeliner in a hurry. He may be good at it, but he wasn’t interested in tempting fate to prove him he was just a fallible human.

He checked himself in the mirror. He didn’t look as spectacular as he would have wanted, but he can live with that. To be honest, he has to.

Of course he would pull a stupid stunt like that the night before The Meeting, as Rangor referred to it. He was a grown man, he should have learnt by now how to control his thirst.

 

* * *

 

Cat was at Magnus' side as soon as the man set foot in the office.

"What's wrong? Did something happen? Are you sure you can make it to the meeting today?"

"I'm fine, Kitty-Cat. Why do you think something's wrong?"

"Because you've been hyping this meeting for a month now, talking all the time about how important it is and how tough it's gonna be and how we have to be better than our best today and then you show up looking... like this," she gestured vaguely as she spoke in a hushed, conspiratorial tone.

"I look okay?" Magnus was confused. He discreetly checked if his shirt is on the right side. It was.

"Yes, you do. But for you and for today, it's like normal people's sweats and stained t-shirt."

Magnus sighed. It was sweet that his friends cared about him, it really was, but he wished Cat cared a little less for just one day. What he did was stupid and he really didn’t want to confess, but Magnus knew Catarina well enough to be sure she won’t let him get off the hook easily, so he may as well get this over with. "We still have an hour to spare, can we go get a coffee? I'll explain then."

 

* * *

 

It was embarrassing, for sure, especially since Cat dragged Ragnor with them as well, and Magnus knew he would suffer a lot of teasing about the Cake Man in the foreseeable future, but overall the coffee lifted all of their spirits and they marched towards the conference room like an unstoppable power trio that they were.

 

* * *

 

“Mrs Lightwood, I presume?”

“Isabelle, please. My mother is Mrs Lightwood.”

“Then I will insist you call me Magnus.”

They all shook hands and entered the room. The woman was just as intelligent and dangerous as she was spectacular. Magnus has never taken part in any business negotiation that was this intense and yet this fruitful. They all came prepared and ready to get the best deal possible, but the mutual respect and instant natural chemistry made it so that there was no malice there, no will to cheat each other. Somehow, it felt like they bonded over their ambitions, however strange the thought might have sounded in Magnus’ head. And after they reached a conclusion that was satisfying to all parties involved, Isabelle invited them out for a celebratory coffee and cake.

“My brother actually runs a patisserie nearby. I’m sure you’ll love it.”

 

* * *

 

They did love it. The cake was delicious and so was the coffee. They chatted idly for quite some time about this and that, the conversation flowing surprisingly smoothly, their interests overlapping just well enough. As he was sipping on his latte, Magnus couldn’t shake the feeling that he somehow knew the place. He hardly registered Isabelle excusing her texting. He has never been here, he was sure, and the interior was tastefully personal and in no way generic, but he had no idea what it reminded him of.

That is until the kitchen door opened and a tall, dark, gorgeous man walked out, somewhat shyly.

The Internet Cake Man.

Of course. Of course. The Fate had to have her fun with him today after all. He hoped she was having fun, at least. Gods know he wasn’t.

Ragnor sensed him tensing up and leaned to him.

“What is it?” he asked.

“I cannot be here,” Magnus whispered back, frantically trying to rein in his panic.

Ragnor shot him a questioning look.

“The Cake Man. It’s the Cake Man.”

That’s why the place looked familiar. The videos were usually shot in the kitchen, but there were some shots of the main room in the intro. Not that Magnus paid any attention to it after he learnt what awaited him in the rest of the video.

Ragnor sighed, but said nothing more, because the Cake Man was now within the earshot, even of a whisper.

“Hello. I’m Alec Lightwood, brother of Isabelle. I run this place. I hope you liked my cake. Have a nice day. There, I’ve done it, Izzy. Can I go back to work now?”

Fuck, he was even hotter in real life. That shouldn’t be possible. He hasn’t looked at Manus yet and the man didn’t know if it made him relieved or sad.

Maybe a bit of both.

“Why don’t you stay, brother dearest,” said Izzy with a blinding grin plastered onto her face. “You could use a break, so why don’t you celebrate the deal with us?”

Magnus calmed down a little in the meantime and even started wondering if he should somehow get the attention of the Cake Man. No, not the Cake Man. Alec. Alexander. Such a sweet name for such a sweet man…

His trail of thought was interrupted as he noticed that everyone around him gotten quiet. And they were looking at him, Ragnor additionally with a knowing smirk on his lips. Catarina seemed a little puzzled, but he was sure it won’t take her long to figure it out too. If there was one thing he was terrible at, it was hiding his crushes. Magnus wasn’t one to feel self-conscious often, but the stares made his skin tingle a tad unpleasantly. Oh gods. He had been asked a question, hadn’t he?

But before Manus could ask to repeat it, he had another thought. Were they **all** looking at him? As in: including Alexander?

Magnus looked up, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. Oh gods. He was looking. His lips were slightly parted, eyes wide and completely focused on Magnus. The man would have normally taken it as a complement, but now he instantly reminded himself that as of this second he was the centre of a very uncomfortable attention and there was a high chance Alexander was stricken by his stupidity rather than his good looks. Looks that could have been even better, but that was Alexander’s fault in the first place.

Magnus cleared his throat and braced himself.

“I’m sorry, I got lost in my thoughts, what were we talking about?”

Ragnor will never let him live it down.

“I’m just trying to make Alec stay and relax a bit. Would you like Alec to stay?” asked Isabelle, barely trying to conceal a devilish smirk. Apparently she too was onto him. Somehow. _Brilliant_.

But before Magnus could blurt out a “yes, forever” or something equally embarrassing, Alexander decided to cut the conversation short...

“That’s all really nice and I’m happy for you, Izzy, but I seriously have to go back to work. The big Clave order for Saturday, remember?” And with a quick kiss to Isabelle’s forehead he was gone.

The length of his chef’s jacket was a crime against the humanity, if you were to ask Magnus.

 

* * *

 

Days went by, and while Cat and Ragnor took one whole evening to drink wine with Magnus and tease him about the Cake Man Incident, nothing much happens on that front, although admittedly not from the lack of trying. After he had recovered from the shock, Magnus found himself dropping by the cafe more often than not, and while he would have defended this by swearing he just really loved the smooth and rich coffee they served there, deep down he knew he hoped to see Alexander again. And maybe he would be his usual smooth and charming self, and maybe they would exchange smiles, and maybe numbers, and maybe…

But no such luck. That is, until one day he was completely exhausted from dealing with a particularly annoying client and he just wanted a treat. He deserved a treat, goddammit. He didn’t even realize anything was out of ordinary until he plopped down on his usual seat by the main counter.

“What can I get you?”

A spark electrified Magnus’ body. It was silly, he was a grown man, not a teenage girl from an overly conservative household who just encountered a boy for a first time in her life. He looked up and saw Alexander, indeed standing right behind the counter. He wasn’t wearing his chef's uniform, instead opting for a simple dark grey shirt with the sleeves rolled up and company’s standard deep green apron that somehow brought out his hazel eyes beautifully.

“Ummm… A mocha and something sweet and chocolaty to keep it company.”

Alec moved to the coffee machine, quickly grinding the beans and steaming the milk. Magnus watched the process, completely fascinated by the absolute control Alec had over it and how focused he was on the task at hand.

Soon a warm glass of deliciously-smelling coffee and a piece of what looked like a perfectly chewy brownie were in front of Magnus.

“A rough day?”

“Yeah. But it’s behind me now. Speaking of, you aren’t usually behind the counter.” Magnus squirmed internally as the words left his mouth. So much for smooth, Bane.

“No, I’m a chef here. Raj, the barista, wanted the afternoon off and I thought it might be,” he considered his words for a second, “not awful to do it myself for a few hours, you know? Break the routine a bit…”

“Not awful? Wow, Alexander, don’t get so overenthusiastic, it may be dangerous.”

Alec smiled shyly and Magnus’ heart skipped a bit at the sight. But then the man frowned.

“Wait a minute. How do you know my name? I’m not wearing a nametag.”

Shit.

“I, um, I was invited here a few weeks ago by your charming sister Isabelle to celebrate the deal we negotiated that day.” _God_ , _please don’t let him remember me._ “I think I got hooked on your heavenly coffee then.” Alec’s eyes sparkled at the praise. “I’m Magnus, by the way. I don’t think we were formally introduced.”

“Umm, I’m Alec... But you know that already.”

An awkward silence fell between them then, it seemed like neither of them wanted the conversation to end but neither could think of a way to continue it.

Magnus flashed his best charming smile and batted his eyelashes at Alec.

“So, you come here often?” he asked in his low, seductive voice.

Alec was taken aback for a second and then the most amazing thing happened. He threw his head back and laughed: loudly, heartily, honestly.

They spoke for hours after that, Magnus’ exhaustion completely forgotten, with brief pauses whenever Alec had to serve a customer. Magnus couldn’t for the life of his remember what they talked about though: it seemed to be everything and nothing, but it flowed effortlessly. There were funny teenage stories about Alec’s siblings and Magnus’ rants about stubbornly daft clients. They discussed the shows they loved and movies they hated.

Magnus left the cafe late in the evening with a new number saved in his phone and a promise of a next time.

His face hurt from smiling when he went to bed that night.

 

* * *

 

Soon enough, they couldn’t stop texting each other. It was just like their real life conversation: stilted at first, but unstoppable once they got the hang of it. Now Alec’s contact name was a constant on his screen. Magnus particularly loved when Alec sent him pics of his latest delicious creations. Well, he had more of a love-hate relationship with those. They made him unbelievably hungry while he was in his office, where the only sweets available would be chocolate bars from the vending machine and that would not satisfy the craving for world-class fancy fresh pastries. But he loved to see Alec’s passion for his job, clear as day behind every piece of carefully crafted edible art. He could see Alec taking pride in his skills.

Skills Magnus definitely didn’t share.

From: Hot Cake Man (14:06)  
Stop being so dramatic, I’m sure you’re not as bad.

To: Hot Cake Man (14:06)  
Do you accuse me of lying, Alexander? How dare you?

From: Hot Cake Man (14:09)  
Am not.

From: Hot Cake Man (14:09)  
I’m sure you just need a few tips and a bit of practice at most.

To: Hot Cake Man (14:10)  
How about you come and teach me yourself then?

From: Hot Cake Man (14:10)  
Sure.

To: Hot Cake Man (14:11)  
You could be the hot teacher I always wanted to have.

To: Hot Cake Man (14:11)  
And, oh, sir, I assure you I’ll do ANYTHING to pass this class...

From: Hot Cake Man (14:11)  
NO

Magnus grinned and texted Alexander his address. This was going to be so much fun.

 

* * *

 

Alec texted him an ingredients list two days ago. Now it all was laying on his counter. It was weird, really. He hardly ever cooked himself. He was way too tired on the workdays and weekends… well, either he was too lazy or too hungover to consider anything but take-out. And he was almost sure he never _baked_ in this apartment.

A doorbell.

Magnus tried to conceal his excitement as he went to open the door. He was almost giddy, and the sight of Alexander on his doorstep, smiling in this charming, shy way of his, didn’t help too much.

“Hi.” He fidgeted a bit, as if he wasn’t sure if he was actually welcome. He was just too damn cute.

Magnus gestured for him to come inside. “Good evening, Alexander. I can’t wait for the class to start. I prepared as you asked.”

“Good.”

The somewhat awkward silence was interrupted by Magnus’ phone vibrating in his pocket. He took it out to see who was calling. Elias, of course. That boy always had the worst timing. However, he also never called unless it was deadly important.

“Sorry, I really have to take it. I’ll be a minute and after that I’ll be all yours,” he winked and turned around, disappearing into his bedroom. Magnus was glad he decided to take the call after all: apparently one of his clients didn’t believe in honesty in business. The conversation was quick and all would be taken care of really soon.

He left his bedroom once again completely in the right mood for the night. The sight he saw however, made him stop dead in his tracks immediately.

Well, he didn’t expect _that_.

“You didn’t say you have such a cute cat.”

Magnus fought the urge to blink furiously. Chairman wasn’t… cute. Not towards complete strangers at least. What the hell? “Yes, yes, I do…  Ummm, make yourself at home. I have to… check something else in the bedroom, yes. Just one more second.”

He quickly disappeared in his bedroom, leaning back on a wall to get himself back together.

That was ridiculous. He was Magnus freakin’ Bane, he was not the one that should get flustered. He was supposed on the other side of the equation, making cute boys swoon and all that.

He pulled out his phone.

To: Cat (18:04)  
I left the room for a minute and when I came back Chairman was purring in Alec’s arms and the man himself was cooing.

To: Cat (18:04)  
I’m too weak. I had to leave again. He’s so soft!

To: Cat (18:05)  
I’m trying to compose myself but I don’t know how. It should be illegal to be this perfect.

To: Cat (18:05)  
I think I wanna marry him and have his babies.

From: Cat (18:05)  
Stop texting me and go get him.

Magnus smiled, texted her a heart emoji and walked out of the room. Alec has thankfully put Chairman back down and was busy preparing everything needed for the baking. He looked so natural in Magnus kitchen, completely in his element. He shot a glance at Magnus.

“Ready to learn?”

Magnus reached for his apron. It was one of those silly novelty aprons with a hunky print that Ragnor got him when he heard about this whole “cooking-class-date-thingy” and Magnus hoped it would make Alec blush.

“Alexander, I was born ready.”

 

* * *

 

They worked together seamlessly. Alec guided him through the process gently and patiently, and for now the whole endeavour looked like a success.

They didn’t speak much at first, except for Alec’s commands, but as Magnus relaxed himself into the process, the light conversation started to flow between them.

“I’ve never asked… What’s the deal with the videos?”

“Oh, you saw them?” Alec’s brows shot up.

“Y-yes, some of them.” _All of them. Several times._

“It was Izzy’s idea. She talked for hours about how _my charm would be the best advertisement_ and _people like to see the process_ and I finally agreed to film two or three to get her off my back, but then I realized I actually enjoy doing it, and people were enjoying it too, so...”

Magnus smiled. Oh yes, he has been enjoying those videos a lot. “Isabelle is truly a genius.”

They got back to the preparation. The sponge cake was already in the oven, looking absolutely perfect, so they moved to preparing the cream and the rest of the decoration. And that’s when Magnus’ trouble began.

Because, well, it turned out Alec was really into mid-prep tasting. Maybe he was more conscious on camera. Or it must have been just edited out of the videos. Maybe Izzy was afraid they would get flagged otherwise.

The thing was though, Alex had a drop of the chocolate just below his lower lip the he seemed to be completely unaware of and Magnus just couldn’t stop staring. Until Alec caught him, that is.

“What is it, Magnus? Do I have something on my-” Alec’s hand went up to his, questioning, ready to take care of the issue as soon as Magnus would indicate the location. On the one hand, he didn’t want it to explain, but by lord he wasn’t going to be able to do anything but stare at the dark dot if it remained where it was.

So he did the only rational thing: he reached out before he could think about what he’s doing and cleaned it with his own finger. Alec stilled instantly; it seemed almost as if he stopped breathing altogether.

For a moment Magnus considered what he should do next. Just using a dishcloth seemed almost disrespectful, but he was afraid eating it himself would be seen as weird. The silence was palpable, the air crackling with the tension between them. As Magnus failed to find any other satisfying solution to the problem, he moved his finger up so that Alec could lick it off. Alec’s eyes crossed just a bit to be able to follow Magnus’ finger. Mangus worried that Alec would be offended or disgusted, but then the man’s lips closed gently over his finger as he cleaned it from the chocolate. It was Magnus’ turn to stop breathing. He felt like the whole situation was playing in front of him in slow-motion. Alec’s eyelids dropped sinfully and his features softened with pleasure. Magnus couldn’t keep his eyes away from the pink ring adorning his right index finger. It was definitely the most amazing piece of jewellery he has ever worn.

Alec pulled back and opened his eyes, searching for a reaction on Magnus’ face. His pupils were blown wide and there was a flush softly creeping into his cheeks. Magnus wondered what he should say, what _can_ he say to make this gorgeous man stay forever.

“Alexander…” he groaned desperately, almost as a way to buy himself more time to figure out the right words. However, Alec misinterpreted it in the best way possible, because he moved forward, pulling Magnus in by his ridiculous apron and kissing him with all he had.

He tasted even sweeter than all of the mid-baking tasting could suggest. He was rich chocolate melting on Magnus’ lips, he was crisp caramel, he was cream and sugar and more. Alec’s lips were as soft as Magnus thought they would be, plump and warm, moving gently against Magnus’. Those few inches of extra height on Alec’s side made it so that Magnus felt completely encompassed by him. It felt as if the whole world shrunk to just Alexander, like nothing else existed out there anymore. It was heady, and addicting, and the best fucking thing in Magnus’ life.

They pulled away for air. Alec was watching Magnus with the hooded eyes. His lips were puffed and shining from the kiss and at some point Magnus’ hands must have found a way to his hair as it was now a mess more than ever. His chest rose and fell quickly, trying to get as much oxygen as possible.

Alec licked his lips and Magnus felt entranced by the flicker of the tongue. He felt like a starving man who was just offered a taste of ambrosia. Dragging his eyes up to meet Alec’s was the toughest job Magnus ever had.

Alexander was watching him closely, pleasure and desire clearly visible in his hazel eyes. Magnus was looking for words to express what he felt and what he wanted, but found nothing, not that his vocal cords would cooperated anyway. And so he did the next best thing and hoped Alec would somehow understand: he moved forward to capture those perfect lips yet again.

Alec met him halfway.

The countertop would probably leave him with a bruise on his lower back, given how hard he was pushed against it with Alec’s body, but Magnus couldn’t care less. All that mattered was that he was making out with Alexander and that this exquisite man wanted him back with the fervour of a hurricane.

The time has slowed down and the only thing that seemed to exist was Alec. Alec’s soft mouth, Alec’s exploring nimble fingers, Alec’s hips pressing against his. It seemed to set every nerve in Magnus’ body on fire.

Alec moved his lips to Magnus’ neck, sucking and licking. Magnus tilted his head back and run his fingers through Alec’s hair, earning himself an appreciative hum from the man.

When the timer announced the cake was ready, Alec didn’t even bother to disentangle himself from Magnus. Instead, he pulled them together closer to the oven and practically blindly turned it off. Before Magnus had a chance to process what it, Alec’s focus was completely on him again. He seemed like physically he couldn’t stop kissing Magnus. Magnus wasn’t going to complain.

Well, maybe just a bit, just to make sure.

“What about the cake though, Alexander?” Magnus inquired halfheartedly.

“Screw the cake. Screw everything.” Alec practically growled into Magnus’ neck and kept pushing them softly in the direction Magnus earlier identified as bedroom.

“Screw baking to screw me,” Magnus giggled.

“Oh hells yeah,” Alec claimed his lips once more and Magnus couldn’t really argue with an argument this convincing.

 

* * *

 

As they lay sated, waiting for their breaths and heartbeats to go back to normal, Magnus thought that if that's what you get for risking an important business negotiation, then it's so worth it.

The sponge cake was, however, completely inedible by the time they managed to go back to the kitchen.

Neither of them was particularly remorseful about that.

 

**Author's Note:**

> i hope you liked this silly little story  
> unbeta'd  
> follow me on tumblr @[sofiechappell](http://sofiechappell.tumblr.com)  
> kudos and comments make my day


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